Recording gas-calorimeter.



C. H. & F. yGr.-BEASLEY & R. H. BRADBURY.

RECORDING GAS GALORIMBTEB.

APPLICATION FILED APB.14, 1910.

987,537. Patented Mar.21,1911.

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C. H. & F. G. BEASLEY & R. H. BRDBURY.

RECORDING GAS GALORIMBTER.

APPLIoATloN FILED M1244, 1910.

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Patented Mar WTNESSES v TH: Nafmls 51ans CDA, w/nsHlNcTa/v, n. c

C. H. & P. GQBEASLEY L R. H. BR'ADBURY.

RECORDING GAS OALOBIMETBR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14, 1910.

Patented Mar.21, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

INVE NTO R567 WITNESSES CLIFFORD HOWELL BEASLEY AND FREDRIC GEORGEBEASLEY, 0F SMETHWICK,

NEAR BIRMINGHAM, MHD RICHARD BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

RECORDING GAS-CALORIMETER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2i, 1911.

Application filed April 14, 1910. Serial No. 555,518.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, CLIFFORD HOWELL BEASLEY and FREDRIC GEORGE BEASLEY,chemical engineers, both of 44 Green street, Smethwick, near Birmingham,England, and RICHARD HENRY BRADBURY, electrical engineer, of 49Birmingham street, Oldbury, England, all subjects of the King of GreatBritain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RecordingGas-Calorimeters, of which the following is a specication.

This invention has reference to gas calorimeters of the type in whichthe quantity of heat developed by the combustion of a known quantity ofgas in unit time is transmitted to a continually flowing body such aswater, whose consequential increase in temperature is measureddifferentially by means of thermometers at the points where the waterenters and leaves the appliance.

According to the present invention, the calorimeter is constructed sothat, in addition to providing for the expeditious and accurateestimation of the caloriiic value of gases, and particularly gaseousfuels, it also admits of the products of the combustion of the saidgases being analytically examined during the time that a calorimetrictestis being made, while all variations in the temperature of theflowing water are automatically indicated and recorded. Several otheradvantages are also secured, as will be hereinafter referred to, wherebyincreased utility and efficiency are attained.

The improved calorimeter is constructed so that the gas to be tested orexamined, together with the requisite quantity of air, is forced intothe instrument or appliance at a pressure considerably above theatmospheric pressure and is burned in a burner that is inclosed within awaterjacketed combustion chamber wherethrough a constantly flowingstream of water is passed or caused to circulate. This combustionchamber has only a single outlet, consisting of a pipe of suitabledimension fashioned into a coil or other suitable form and entirelycontained within the water circulating chambers.

@wing to the fact that the gas is supplied and burned under pressure,the products of combustion are forced to travel downwardly through theoutlet coil at a constant rate which can be readily controlled or variedas desired and are cooled within the said coil to the temperature of thewater where it enters the jackets or chambers; this being effected byproviding the entrance for water at the bottom of the coil jacket andcompelling the same to flow through upward, or in the inverse directionto the travel of the products of combustion.4 Further, the fact that apressure exceeding atmospheric pressure is maintained in the combustionchamber also provides that the burned gases, after their passage throughthe water-heating coil, can be forced to circulate through any suitableknown form of apparatus for chemically analyzing the same, from which itfollows that gases can be simultaneously, or at one operation, tested todetermine both their calorific value and their combustible constituents.

To provide for measuring of the differences in the temperature of thewater at the entrance to the jackets or circulating chambers and at theoutlet therefrom, a differential thermometer system is employedconsisting of two thermometer bulbs, each connected by a line bore pipeto a box having a sensitive diaphragm. Each bulb with its associated boxis filled with oil or other liquid susceptible to expansion andcontraction under variations of temperature, and one bulb is immersed inthe water at the entrance to the jacket and is under the inuence of theminimum temperature while the other is immersed near the outlet wherethe water attains its maximum temperature by virtue of the heat taken upfrom the walls of the coil and combustion chamber, while in order toindicate and register or record all variations in the differencesbetween the minimum and maximum temperatures as measured by therespective thermometers both of the sensitive diaphragms aforesaid aremechanically connected, through a'vsystem of levers, with the shiftablefulcrum of a pen-staff forming part of a recording device whereby thefluctuations are recorded on a moving band of paper, driven at aconstant rate by clockwork.

The instrument also comprises an arrangement for automaticallymaintaining a constant rate of iiow of water past the combustion chamberand heating coil, and which j the injector device whereby the gas andair consists of an elevated tank wherein a conj are stant head ismaintained by the usual weir method and from which the water flows at aconstant rate from a et into a deep cup that. r

forms the entrance to the water-circulating system and contains the bulbof the minimum thermometer while provision is also made whereby in theevent of any increase of resistance to the flow of the said waterthrough the instrument, such increase is compensated for by the head ofwater that builds itself up in the said deep cup.

Further, provision is made according to the invention whereby the gasand air to form the combustible mixture and the water used in making thetests can be readily brought to a uniform temperature before they passinto the instrument, which is effected by arranging within the elevatedwater. tank, a coil of a few turns wherethrough the gas and air areforced before `passing to the burner in the combustion chamber andwhereby they are brought to the same temperature as the water in whichthe equalizing coil is immersed and which proceeds from the said tank tothe jackets inclosing the combustion chamber and heating coil: lVhile toprovide for the maximum saturation ofy the gas and air prior to theircombustion, or to bring them to the same degree of saturation as theexhaust burned gases, the said gas and air are passed through a chambercontaining water which is interposed between the temperature-equalizingcoil and the injector which forces the mixed air and gas under pressureinto the combustion chamber. This obviates the necessity of making teststo correct the records of the instrument for humidity.

7e will now proceed to more fully describe our invention and the mannerof using the same with reference to the accom* panying drawings, inwhich- Figures l and 1A. and 1B show a convenient general arrangementthat may be adopted, and illustrate the connection between the differentparts, including the gas air and water tempe 'ature equalizer, the gasand air saturator or maximum humidifier, the arrangement of thesensitive diaphragm boxes pertaining to the differential thermometersystem and the mechanical means for automatically recording thefluctuations in temperature diiferences between the minimum and maximumthermometers Fur ther, Fig. l exemplilies the manner in which theinvention provides for the analytical examination of the products ofcombustion and it also shows a convenient disposition of appliance forcontrolling the delivery of gas to the burner so as to insure theconstant delivery of a given weight of gas in a given unit of time; alsothe arrangement for taking up the appropriate quantity of air; alsoforced through the humidifier and temperature equalizer to the burnerand whereby also the pressure is maintained for forcing the products ofcombustion through the water-heating coil and through the analysisapparatus. Fig. 2 represents,l upon an en larged scale, a sectional viewshowing the burner combustion chamber and water heating coil and thewater jackets pertaining thereto; also the water entrance and outlet andthe dispositions of t-he bulbs of the minimum and maximum thermometersin relation to the said entrance and outlet. Fig. 3 shows, upon anenlarged scale, the arrangement of the sensitive diaphragm boxes and thepen-staff mechanism which is actuated thereby. Fig. 3A is a detail viewshowing the connections for rocking the pen staff in accordance with therelative movements of the sensitive diaphragms. Fig. 4 is a diagrammaticrepresentation of the gas and air injector device. Fig. 5 shows theelevated tank that contains the temperature-equaliaing coil and wherebythe constant flow of water is provided for. This view also shows devicethat may be fitted for varying the pressure at the jet that deliverswater into the cup containing the minimum thermometer.l Fig. G is adiagrammatic view of an arrangement with which the instrument may befurnished to facilitate the checking of the iiow of water through theinstrument by the method of weighing the quantity flowing from thecirculating system in a given unit time.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

The body of the instrument consists of a cylindrical casing or cover l0,mounted on a suitable stand, and inclosing a cylindrical combustionchamber f, to which access is cbtained from below the said casing by atubular passage or shaft d, the lower end of which is adapted to beclosed by a removable plug or stopper e fixed to a pipe b that carriesthe burner a. rlhis burner, which may be of any suitable construction ismounted upon the upper end of the pipe Z) so as to come within themiddle of the combustion chamber, and it is supplied with a mixture ofgas and air which is delivered byl way of the said pipe. The delivery ofgasto the burner is controlled by any suitable apparatus which may bearranged at 1 (see the general view, Fig. l) and operates to keep thesupply constant or regular and thereby to insure that the same weight ofgas shall be delivered to the burner during every unit time, that theinstrument is in action. And to provide for the delivery of the gas,with the appropriate quantity of air, under pressure to the burner, thequantity-controller b1 is connected to an injector, (representeddiagrammatically in Fig. 4;) which may conveniently be mounted as shownin Fig. l, and is operated by air forced thereinto by a pump, fan or thelike at a few pounds of pressure per square inch. The resulting mixtureof gas and air under pressure is ignited at the burner while the latteris outside the instrument, and when the same is in proper action, it isintroduced into the combustion chamber by way of the open-bottomed shaft(Z and it is secured in position by the stopper e on ythe supply pipe.The said stopper also serves to close the bottom of the said shaft andprevent the escape of any of the products of combustion therefrom.

As already stated, the burner may be of' any suit-able construction, butthe form shown in theldrawings is provided with a double cylindricalmantle er shroud c, made of some refractory non-corrodible material,preferably silica, although other material such as lire-clay may beused. Combustion takes place within the mantle when the burner isignited before its introduction into the instrument and the said mantleis introduced into position before being passed up into the combustionchamber.

The combustion chamber has-in the preferred consti-action asrepresented-only a single outlet consisting of a spiral or coil. ofrelatively small bore tubing g, which serves as a water-heating element,but we may use any other tubular arrangement of outlet for the productsof combustion, such as a number of straighttubes, although we are awarethat a, calorimeter has been proposed where a burner carried by aremovable stopper, is inclosed in a wide tube forming a heating chamberfrom the head ci which a series of pipes descend through a water jacketwherein water is made to tlownpwardly in the opposite direction to thedescending` gases.

Both the combustion chamber and the spiral or other outlet from thebottom thereof are entirely inclosed in a jacket or cylinder z.wherethrough water is compelled to circulate at a constant rate by a.device hereinafter described. This water enters the lower part of thejacket from an elevated cup i by way of the inlet pipe l and it iscompelled to rise within the saidjacket or flow therethrough in theinverse direclio-n to that in which the products of combustion from thechamber ,f are forced, by the action of the and air supply pressure,through the coil g. The result of this arrangement is that the water inpassing through the jacket at constant unit quantity in unit timeabsorbs from the walls of the coil g and combustion chamber f, the wholeof the heat generated by the combustion of the known quantity of pertime unit at the burner, so that the combustion products are dischargedfrom the outlet of the coil at the temperature of the water where itenters the jacket. Thus it will be bvious that by this method of workingthe thermal value of the 'gas being tested may be accurately determinedby measuring (as in methods now in general use) the difference oftemperature between the water where it enters the bottom of the jacketand at the upper part where the water leaves, while to examine theproducts of coml istion it is only necessary to couple the outlet end ofthe coil to ordinary analysis apparatus as shown in F ig. l and markedgf. v

ln order to effectively insulate the upper part of the water chamber, itmay be lagged as shown and surrounded by an additional rater-jacket 79,while the chamber itself is horizontally partitioned at 72.1 into twosuperimposed compartments a2, if' and water-circulating pipes t1, s andconnections` arranged so that the water ascending in the lowercompartment /i direrted by way of the pipe l into and through the pipe sto the bottom of the compartment 72? which contains the corrbustionchamber, while finally the water ascends to the top of the saidcompartment if wherein it attains its maximum temperature, and isdischarged at the outlet fm.

To automatically record the differences in temperature between the waterat the points of intake and discharge we propose to use an arranweinentthat comprises two metal spherical or cylindrical vessels 701, 7a2constituting thermometer bulbs, one of which Ztl is contained within thecup i where the cold water enters the instrument, so that the same ismaintained at and measures the minimum temperature of the said water,while the other bulb is situated in the upper part of the water jacket71 just above the combustion chamber, where it is influenced by the hotwater leaving the instrument and consequently measures the maximumtemperature of the said water. rlhe two thermometer bulbs are connectedby fine bore tubes el to sensitive diaphragm boxes Z, Z, suitablymounted in the recording part of the instrument as shown in l and 3. Thebulbs, connecting tubes and boxes are filled with. oil or other liquid,the expansion and contraction of which under the influences oftemperature Variations will result in a corresponding outward or inwardmoyemei'it of the sensitive diaphragms. ln order that those deflectionsmay be mechanically recorded a pair of levers a?, a2 are fulcrumed at017 02 respectively to small bracl ets which are fixed to the frame ofthe mechanism and the short arm of each lever contacts, by means of asmall adjustable pin (7)1, p2) with the flexible face of thecorresponding sensitive diaphragm box, so that one lever al isinfluenced and oscillatcd by deflections of the diaphragm of the boX Z,caused by variations in the minimum water temperature, while the othern2 is similarly influenced by the deflections of the diaphragm of thebox Z under variations in the maximum water temperature. The two ends Q1g2 of the longer arms of the said levers are coupled to one another by abronze strip or thread r, the extremities of which are respectivelyfastened to the said lever ends while the middle part of the said stripis made to take a complete turn around a roller or rock-shaft s, (seethe small plan Fig. 3A) which carries a pen staff t and is mounted inthe forked end of a lever a having its fulcrum at 051 on a small fixedbracket m2. The other end of this lever is acted upon by a spring warranged as shown, whereby the connecting strip is maintained in tensionand the contact screws of the diaphragm levers are kept bearing againstthe deflecting diaphragm faces so that they follow up the latter whenthey move inwardly in unison with any contraction of the liquidcontents. The pen-staff which is connected to and turns in unison withthe rock shaft, is

furnished with a pen or marker o whereby the movements of the mechanismare marked and recorded on a band of paper carried upon a clock-drivendrum u. llvvith this arrangen'ient, should both diaphragms move in thesame direction and to the same extent as a consequence of a commonchange of temperature, no turning motion will be imparted to the rockshaft and pen staff, as both the diaphragm levers will make an equalangular movement in the same direction, and when the diaphragms moveoutwardly the strip 11 will act simply as a link and impart acorresponding movement to the lever 0J for tensioning` the spring w toobtain a return movement of the parts when the diaphragms move inwardly.If, however, the diaphragms are influenced by different temperaturessuch as obtain when the calorimeter is in use, then their differentialmovement causes the one lever to make an angular movement relatively tothe other, which movement is transmitted to the roller or rock-shaft bythe tensioned strip r acting like a band upon a pulley. The rocking ofthe roller produces a corresponding movement of the pen statt' andalters the position of the marker upon the surface of the travelingpaper. Thus when the instrument is in use, every movement of either ofthe diaphragms, produced by changes in the influencing temperaturesresults in a change in the position of the pen stall which vibrates insynchronism only with variations in the difference between thetemperature as measured by the minimum thermometer and the temperatureas measured by the maximum thermometer and these differential variationsare marked by the pen and automatically recorded on the traveling papereither as temperature or corresponding thermal value.

ln Fig. 1A, the parts of the automatic recording mechanism (includingthe penstail) are shown in their inoperative positions, while Fig. lshows the mechanism ready for action and after the pen staff has beenlifted to bring the marker into contact with the recording paper by themovement imparted thereto by the initial outward movement of the maximumdiaphragm on the water being first heated after the introduction of theburner into the combustion chamber.

As regards the injector arrangement, the high pressure air enters at a2and draws in an auxiliary supply from the atmosphere at b2, while thegas enters at 3, and the resulting mixture is forced to the burner asalready described by way of the pipe a3.

To control theflow of water through the instrument the tank at issupported by pillars y y2 above the casing of the combustion chamber anda constant head of water is maintained therein by the usual weir method.The water is delivered from the said tank through a jet gt (which isprefer: ably silica although glass may be used) into the inlet cup z'.Providing a constant stream flows from the jet gt, the quantity of waterpassing through the instrument in unit time will be unaffected by anyslight variation of resistance to its flow, as this is automaticallycompensated for by the head that builds itself up in the cup z'. Inother words, the flow from the jet is independent of the resistance toflow through the instrument. Provision is made for adjusting the rate offlow through the et, consisting of a tube g2 capable of telescoping intothe tube g3 through a water-tight gland. The tube g2 carries the jet g4,and the head of water in the tank at above the jet can be varied at willby sliding the'tube g2 in or out of t-he tube g3.

The means for facilitating the checking of the rate of water flowinvolves the arrangement of the outlet pipe m of the water circulatingsystem to terminate just above a cup m1, which is rotatably mountedoutside the easing on a bracket m2, and is divided into two compartmentsvertically. By rotating the cup about its vert-ical axis, either of thecompartments can be brought under the outlet pipe m. One compartment ofthe cup is permanently connected to a iexible waste pipe 7c, while theother has a funnellike outlet y), through which water may he run fromthe cup into a receiver suitable for weighing. Normally, the wastecompartment of the cup is under the outlet and the discharged water runsthence to a sink or the like, but when it is desired to check the rateof flow per time unit by weighing the quantity discharged at the outletin a given time, this can be readily done by giving the cup a smartquarter turn by the milled nut y', so as to bring the other compertinentunder the outlet. The stream of Water is thus diverted or switched fromthe pipe mto the Weighing vessel and this enables an accuratemeasurement to be made as to the quantity of Water flowing through theinstrument relative to time.

rEhe vessel containing' Water for humidifying the gas and air supply tosaturation is marked e2 in Fig. l, and the temperature equalizing coilwhereby air, and Water are all brought to the same temperature beforeentering the instrument is indicated by dotted lines z3 in the elevatedtank at.

Having fully described our invention, what We desire to claim and secureby Letters Patent is l. ln a calorimeter, in combination, av burner, aclosed shaft inclosing the burner, a burner connection which passesthrough the sha t, the latter having a combustion chamber in Which theburner is arranged, water heating tubes through Which the prod,- ucts ofcombustion are forced from said chamber, and means for supplying air andgas under pressure considerably greater than atmospheric pressure to theburner, the air and gas thus supplied serving to force the products ofcombustion through said tubes.

2. ln a gas calorimeter, in combination, a burner, a closed shaftinclosing the burner, a burner connection which passes through theshaft, the latter having a combustion chamber in Which the burner isarranged, Water heating tubes through which the products of combustionare forced from said chamber, and an injector connected with a gassupply and With the connection aforesaid for maintaining` a pressuresupply of gas and air to the inclcsed burner and forcing the resultingproducts of combustion through the Water heater.

3. In a gas calorimeter, the combination with a Water-jacketedcombustion chamber and means for maintaining a pressure gas and airsupply, of a high-pressure burner which is inclosed in the said chamberand consists of a double mantle or shroud made of a non-corrodiblerefractory material, substantially as described.

4. In a gas calorimeter, in combination, a closed shaft having acombustion chamber, a burner arranged in the combustion chamber, aburner connection passed through the shaft, means for forcing air andgas under pressure considerably greater than atmospheric pressurethrough the connection to the burner, Water heating tubes leading fromthe combustion chamber on the outside of the shaft. a Water jacketsurrounding the tubes, and means for causing a circulation of waterthrough the jacket in a direction opposite to the direction in which theproducts of combustion pass throughthe'tubes.

5. In a gas calorimeter, in combination, a closed shaft having acombustion chamber, a burner arranged in the combustion chamber, aburner connection passed through the shaft, means for forcing air andgas under pressure considerably greater than atmosplieric pressurethrough the connection to the burner, a Water heating coil leading fromthe combustion chamber, surrounding the shaft, and through which theproducts of combustion are forced from said chamber, a water jacketsurrounding the combustion chamber and the coil, and means for causing acirculation of Water through the jacket in a direction opposite to thedirection in Which the products of combustion pass through the coil.

G. In a gas calorimeter, the combination with the Water-jacketedcombustion chamber and its outlet coil, of a shaft arranged Within thesaid coil, a burner which is introduced into and removed from thechamber through the shaft, a stopper adapted to close the shaft andprevent the escape of the products of combustion therefrom When theinstrument is in use and a burner supply tube carried by the stopper,substantially as described.

7. In a gas calorimeter, the combination with a combustion chamber, aburner arranged therein and an injector for supplying and air to theburner, of means for humidifying the gas and air to saturation, themeans consisting of a humidifying vessel interposed between the injectorand the combustion chamber and connected With the gas and air supply.

8. ln a gas calorimeter; the combination with a Water-jacketedcombustion chamber and a burner arranged therein of an ele vatedWatersupply tank, a temperature equalizing coil arranged therein andthrough which the gas and air is forced before it is passed to theburner and connections betiveen the coil and the burner, substantiallydescribed.

9. In a gas calorimeter; the combination with a Water-jacketedcombustion chamber and an elevated Water tank in which a constant headof Water is maintained, of an outlet pipe discharging from said tank, apipe leading into the jacket and carrying a deep cup into which theoutlet cup discharges; the said cup being adapted to provide for theautomatic building up of a head of Water therein in the event of anyincrease of the resistance to the flow of Water through the instrumentand hence rendering the iiovv from the outlet pipe independent of suchresistance, substantially as described.

10. ln a gas calorimeter; the combination With a combustion chamberhaving a Water jacket and an outlet for the latter, of a rotatable cupdivided vertically into two compartments, one of Which is connected withthe Waste and the other of which is adapted to divert the Water into aWeighing vessel; the cup being arranged to receive Water from theoutlet.

ll. In a recording gas calorimeter; the combination with minimum andmaximum thermometers and their associated sensitive diaphragm boxes, ofa pair of levers contacting respectively with the sensitive diaphragmsof the boxes, an indicating and recording instrument having a pen staff,a rock shaft carrying the pen staif and a tensioned thread of metalwhich is passed around the rock shaft and which has its eX- tremitiesconnected to the respective levers, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

12. In a gas calorimeter, in combination, a

combustion chamber, a burner arranged therein, a coil leading from thecombustion chamber, a Water jacket surrounding the coil, means forcausing a circulation of Water through the acket, means for deliveringair and gas to the burner, and means for equalizing the temperature ofthe air and gas prior to its passage to the burner to the temperature ofthe Water prior to its circulation through the jacket.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands in presence of tivosubscribing Witness-es.

CLIFFORD HOWELL BEASLEY. EREDRIO GEORGE BEASLEY. RICHARD HENRY BRADBURY.

IVitnesses:

HENRY SKERRn'r'r, HENRY NORTON SKERRETT.

Copies ofl this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, ID. C.

